IFM MA 2026: LEGACY AND INNOVATION

This year's MA grads won't let the industry's tumult deter them.

Published Mar 3, 2026

On the first day of Paris Fashion Week, IFM’s MA class presented garments inspired by a diverse mix of old ideas and new technologies. Fairy tales are reclaimed as political texts, mountaineering becomes a model for belonging, knitwear becomes a conduit for deep emotion. Plexiglass reshapes the female body, crystals are cultivated into cloth, leather turns into armour, crushed fabric becomes a metaphor for survival.

Maja Lenhard

“My collection explores how 18th-century fairy tales, written by women, were later appropriated by men to reinforce female subjugation. These were never childish fantasies. Denied political power and autonomy, women used storytelling as resistance, speaking of violence, and abuse. Later retellings, especially by the Brothers Grimm, softened this critique, erasing sexuality and turning survival stories into lessons in obedience and purity. Fairy tales were not written to tame women, but to free them. Through colour and degradés, I explore light and shadow, revealing and concealing at once. Like the tales themselves, what you see is never the whole story, beneath the surface lies something darker, more complex. I’m incredibly excited to start working in the fashion industry and to finally channel my creativity into a brand’s identity. Fashion has always felt like more than just clothing to me. The idea of collaborating within a team, exchanging ideas, and creating something meaningful together truly inspires me. At the same time, I can’t ignore my fears. The job market feels uncertain, and breaking into the industry seems more challenging than ever. Sometimes it feels like success isn’t only about talent and hard work, but also about image and pretension. Even so, I hope authenticity and dedication will still make a difference.”

@majaalenhard

Neza Dapcevic

“HEIMA (Icelandic for “home”) is a constant search for meaning in today’s fast paced nomadic society, questioning how belonging is formed when permanence dissolves. It is shaped by cultural fusion of the Scandinavian female persona and Balkan heritage. Inspired by female mountaineering and hiking, the collection examines life in nature versus a career in the city. By bringing the mountain to the city and city to the mountain, the garments translate mobility, endurance and adaptability into a new idea of a home – one carried through the body rather than a fixed place. In the fashion industry, I’m excited to work in new environments and collaborate with diverse artisans within in-house teams. I value the creative exchange that comes from different perspectives and disciplines. At the same time, I remain critical of the industry’s structures, especially the normalisation of long working hours and constant time spent indoors. This tension informs my collection, which conceptually draws the audience to reflect on interior spaces and speaks on health benefits of spending more time outside. As a woman, I am also critical of the persistent male privilege in leadership roles and hope to see more female creative directors shaping the future of fashion.”

@nezadapcevic

Diego Ortega

“Prey For Me explores the tension between hunter and hunted. Inspired by the mythic, hybrid creatures of Max Ernst’s paintings, whose own history of exile shaped his visions of displacement. The collection emerged alongside my reflections on the political landscape of the United States. Rooted in the belief that the most beautiful creatures on earth are often the most hunted, the body is transformed into chimeric silhouettes. Sculpted leather volumes form protective shells, while dresses and skirts attached to catsuits and leggings trail behind the figure, resisting containment. Armor and exposure coexist. Through this tension, the collection considers the vulnerability of the ‘other’. I am excited most to go into industry and continue my learning outside an academic environment. I am looking forward to the people from various backgrounds and experiences that I will work alongside.”

@diegxrtega

Borja Fernandez Garcia

“This collection is about an inside guiding light that helps us release inner powers and self growth, unlocking hidden potentials and achieving inner harmony. By confronting, embracing and integrating our inner shadows, individuals will reclaim lost parts of themselves. Anime, magical girl transformations, floating garments and structures. Jewels and gems are buried beneath our feet. Choose to dig for gold. I’ve worked for several years before I could afford my higher education, and now I’m entering an unstable industry. Fashion is incredibly dynamic, but that instability can be intimidating, especially at the beginning of a career. I’m also tired of constantly seeing how much impact creative directors can have over their teams. What inspires me most about fashion, however, is the thought of working alongside diverse teams from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and generations, all moving toward a shared vision, and I believe that only through stability, mutual respect, and strong collaboration can we create healthier, more collective environments where creativity truly flourishes.”

@boralone

Patrick Garvey

“This collection is driven by the friction between two futures: a creative path I chose and a scientific one that could have been. By stepping into the mindset of an alternate self who pursued science instead, I explore the curiosity and suppressed creativity that I may have felt from this perspective. The work imagines what happens when creativity resurfaces from the mindset of a scientist; erupting through a lens experimentation, which fuels the exploratory nature of the garments and textiles where science has actively shaped their creation with crystals that are cultivated into the fabric structure, chemical processes that are embedded within knitted forms. Each piece is a wearable experiment where chemistry, biology, and textiles collide. What excites me is the future of materials within the industry. I think that there are a lot of possibilities within material futures that could change the future of clothing. When I think about my next step hopefully into the industry, I hope that this is a place that is welcoming young designers and allows us to bring new ideas to the table in order for the industry to evolve further, especially from a sustainability point of view.”

@patrickjgarvey

Marina Casey

“My collection is shaped by what it was like to grow up as a girl in a conservative, religious environment in Argentina. Machismo lies at the center of Argentine culture, where the meat industry serves as a metaphor for how women’s bodies and animal bodies serve the patriarchy in similar ways. Molding plexiglass to reshape the body and create a disrupted silhouette. Like a hanging carcass in a butcher shop, a leather jacket blurs the lines between animal skin and women’s skin. Womenswear often operates as a boys’ club. As contradictory as this sounds, the lack of women in leadership positions makes it difficult to believe there is truly space for women designers in this industry. Growing up, I was told by male professors what to wear and how long my skirt should be. Today, the fashion industry is still largely shaped by men in leadership roles who determine what women should wear.”

@marina.com.ar

Ella Gödecken

“The collection is about what it means to be a girl in today’s world in a landscape of simultaneous political progression and regression. It analyses the impact of experiences of violence against women and girls by translating emotions into knitted imagery. Shape references were drawn from 1950/60s womenswear mixed with contemporary silhouettes. Symbols of femininity were translated in knitwear through brushed mohair and silk ribbon embroidery. Metaphorical heaviness is balanced with naive lightness though the knitted degrade textiles. Graduating in 2026 means stepping into the industry at a time of economic and political uncertainty, which feels both unsettling and strangely clarifying. It sometimes seems like we’re all a little deluded by the promises of fashion before we’ve even entered it. It has become too clear how dysfunctional the industry is. At the same time, this discomfort with the status quo leaves hope for change and new beginnings. I hope our generation can question outdated structures and move away from the relentless pace set by the industry.”

@ellagoedecken

Gašpar Marinič

“My collection imagines a funeral procession, my queer family mourn the erasure of gay rights and culture in the current political climate. Combining the codes and symbols of queer culture and victorian mourning attire, we march forward proud and resilient. My knits symbolise the ongoing struggle: funeral wreaths for all we are losing, memorial poppies for our fallen, pansies for homophobic slurs endured, while lavender lesbians remind us of hidden queer codes, once essential to survival. Throughout history our rights and existence have been threatened but we will never stay buried, we always rise from the dead; stronger and ever more fabulous. To be honest, I am not really scared of anything in the industry, but I am excited to have the chance to work with a professional creative team and see how a brand functions from the inside. Instead of worrying about the rumours about the industry, I want to focus on developing new skills and learning as much as possible. I know some people say that work inside the fashion industry is not as creative as at university and should that be the case I will be fine. In a way I would look forward to it as I think coming right off a show it is always nice to have a small creative break and take a step back from your own creative vision to reevaluate and allow for new ideas to develop.”

@gasparmarinic

Adam Meng Wang

“My work explores sexual desire shaped by personal history. Raised in a traditional Chinese family, I concealed my queerness. After moving to Europe, I grew more confident in my identity and desires. This collection invites viewers to embrace their sexuality, inspired by Wolfgang Tillmans’ exhibition To look without fear, which examines eroticism and the human body without shame of daily life. Tillmans’ use of the Concorde as a phallic metaphor informed my motifs and forms. I also draw from gay icon Peter Berlin and his work Permission to Stare, which reveals how stereotypes shape gay culture and collective fantasy. Through these influences, I explore visibility, vulnerability, and desire as acts of liberation. As a soon-to-graduate fashion knitwear student and an international student from China, I’ve found that, although Paris has many fashion brands, most studios prefer interns who are proficient in both English and French. Therefore, learning French is my plan.”

@adammengwang

Nikki Kahr

“My collection is a direct response to childhood trauma and my own battle with cancer as a child. Astrid Lindgren wrote Pippi Longstocking for her daughter while she lay seriously ill in bed. She imagined a child superhero strong enough to lift a horse, fight pirates and run away with the circus. By escaping the horrors of the past we can find beauty and joy in the present. I’m inspired by Josef Frank’s textiles, mixing embroidery with knit and creating silhouettes that are unusual with textiles that would normally not be paired together. Fashion will always be a fun journey for me and so will the final outcome.”

@nikki_kahr

Ryan Treadwell

“The collection is a look at attempting perfection. It’s the mixing of archetypes: the clown, a metaphor for camp, the businessman, an interaction of having one’s shit together, the tourist, a hark back to growing up a mixed-race child in America, and the knight in shining armour, the masculine protector. It is the combining of these archetypes to create in itself some mythological perfected costume of identity through clothing. The desire for this perfection stemming from a need to fit somewhere. Neither Asian enough or white enough, masc or gay enough; in perfection there is no debate of worth or place. Before starting the masters, I was working actually as an assistant designer. I think returning to the masters changed my work and the way in which I approached knitwear, thus I think I am looking forward to reapplying these new perspectives and continually pushing them within new teams. I think the industry has become such a game of margins and sales. Fashion has to exist within this context, but there must be a way where we can play this game to also benefit designers and use margins and use carryover to allow greater creativity and risk in the pieces of collections that don’t necessarily have to hit the same sales numbers.”

@ryan.treadwell

Paula Lessel

“A while ago, I became obsessed with the process of crushing objects. I would start by folding rectangular pieces of fabric, sealing one side, reopening it and then submitting it to pressure. This way, something simple becomes something complex. Over time, the act of crushing became linked with the internet phenomenon ‘Accidental Renaissance’. These images reveal something tender: how our small, everyday lives mirror big human themes. Crushing became a symbol for both ‘Weltschmerz’ and lust for life; it is small people wrestling with vast ideas. How do we live in the current state of the world? I think the answer is to turn soft, gentle, fluid. I feel mostly excited to enter the industry. With the big shifts that we have recently seen, we have created a sort of vacuum. I think we should remember that in this “make or break” moment, we can truly build an environment that works even better. To me, this sparks a real motivation. At the same time, I am also worried that with the fast pace we are used to, we might forget to explore, play and research. In my opinion, we will only be able to find answers that are creative, inspiring and meaningful, if we play and execute at the same time.”

@paulalessel

Mingrui

“I am inspired by the criticism of people in China wearing sleepwear in public. This collection explores the boundary between private and public space. It questions why garments linked to intimacy, comfort, and domesticity are expected to remain invisible. Rather than conforming to social norms, the collection expands sleepwear’s expressive potential. Floral prints, checks, and cartoon motifs rendered in loud, vibrant colours draw directly from everyday pyjamas. Fabrics range from cotton and jersey to blanket-like textiles, prioritising comfort as a statement. Quilting, embroidery, and handmade crochet, developed with my aunts and grandmothers, integrate domestic craft and generational knowledge, elevating sleepwear beyond function into memory, resistance, and visibility. I’m excited to pursue a career in the fashion industry. I’m particularly curious about how AI is reshaping fashion through trend forecasting, data-driven design, personalisation, and more sustainable practices. The blend of technology and creativity motivates me to contribute fresh ideas.”

@mingruiho

Théa Lemaire

“In reaction to the backlash of conservative values and growing threat towards women’s rights, Sales Connes questions how feminist activism is depreciated by the media. Indeed, female protestors are systematically and virulently stigmatised, the aim being to discredit their actions by targeting them as individuals. They soon become reduced to one or several stereotypes of femininity, such as the hysterical witch, the slut, the lesbian, or more recently the “sale conne”. My collection draws inspiration from these archetypes, featuring references to Niki de Saint Phalle’s shooting paintings, distorted lingerie elements and the aesthetic of protests. It aims at celebrating the primordial place of knit and craft in feminist activism, mimicking modern-day practices such as “yarn-bombing”. Upon graduation, I am very curious about finding out what the fashion industry looks like from the inside, and how I am going to react and learn from it. As a young creative, I feel really grateful and privileged I was given the time and space to explore my own universe and tell its stories during my studies. So after such an intense period of artistic freedom, I have to say I am a bit scared I will feel alienated by the industry, both creatively and in terms of political values. I hope to take this experience as a chance to keep on learning new things everyday, and use these tools to sharpen my skills and nurture my future projects.”

@aliasthea

Anna-Livia Poupaud

“My collection is about the idea of lookalikes, imitation and impersonation through the figure of Johnny Hallyday, who has many impersonators. The act of mirroring an iconic figure, how the original form is distorted, made as a caricature, a symbol. Through shapes I wanted to showcase movements, torsion, deformation of the clothes because of performance. And also the action of merging into a character, embodying someone else. Through materials I wanted to express the relationship between reflection, lights and how the performance affects it. Next, I am really excited to work in the industry and participate in the making of a collection, and have the opportunity to work with many different people. I am mostly excited about working in collaboration with a house atelier because I think that’s the space where you can learn the most.”

@zannalivia

Yousra Youssoufa

“My collection draws inspiration from hypersurveillance and the feeling of being constantly observed. I am focusing specifically on blackness and the impact that our heavily monitored society has on black bodies. Simone Browne’s work helped me in the construction of the storytelling and silhouettes, she affirms that the surveillance of blackness has always been a social and political norm. Marginalised groups are forced to navigate under this well-oiled system of scrutiny and social control which reinforces self-surveillance and the act of taming our real identities in order to fit in, become malleable and therefore, survive. This collection really taught me the importance of collaboration and team work. At first, I placed a lot of importance in taking care of every single aspect of the collection when it is actually much more effective and inspiring to bring my creative friends and their own expertise and advice in. I’m always inspired by the black community, and my friends who evolve in this industry along my side, because they know where I’m coming from. I can’t wait to see how my people keep growing and gaining more visibility, because a lot of important stories coming from minorities are missing in this industry.”

@yousnao

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